The Avondale mum of two, and grandmother to eight, is being recognised in the Queen's Birthday honours list for her service to community health having been a nurse, midwife and long-standing volunteer with St John Ambulance.

"Each [major event] brought its own challenges and memories, but ... when someone comes up and says 'thankyou', that's what you do it for," she said.

Mrs Vincent was "shocked" to learn of her Order of Australia accolade, because you "don't do it for the recognition, you do it for the love".

"To have that caring validated makes you feel good," she said.

Mrs Vincent became a volunteer at St John Ambulance 37 years ago when her boys signed up as cadets.

"It was an opportunity to use a lot of my nursing skills and also something that I could do with my kids," she said.

"I became the divisional nursing officer that enabled me to do a lot of things with my two boys as a single mum, and we travelled all over Australia."

Her two sons grew up and found other interests but the health professional stayed on with St John because she loved helping the community so much.

Mrs Vincent was there in the mid-1980s when the not-for-profit began sending medical teams to major gatherings and events where NSW Ambulance transport would be restricted.

"I'm still a member of that team which has of course evolved and become much more prominent in St John Work," she said. "It's now not only comprised of just doctors and nurses as it was then, but lots of different members ... who attend events like the City to Surf, marathon runs ... and all those big high profile games."

But Mrs Vincent said their work also goes back to helping the community in dire times of need - such as work with COVID-testing, plus disaster evacuation centres.

She also heads up the six-bed medical centre at the Royal Easter Show each year.

"I'm currently implementing a peer support program for our cadets as even though cadets don't go to things like evacuation centres - they could be at a duty and witness a critical incident that might impact on them," Mrs Vincent said.

"The cadets are 11 to 18 ... so anything we can do to help them and their family."